Team

Bodil Bajwa joined BIG from the Council of the European Union, bringing extensive administrative experience in the organization of multilateral summits and the day-to-day running of the institution.

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Margaux is an author. She was a speechwriter to various politicians and entrepreneurs. Her recent books (Ultra violet, Vivre Nu and Paul Ricoeur: le courage du compromis) explore the link between activism and philosophy. A graduate in philosophy from the École normale supérieure in Paris, Margaux is working for BIG on a project about the year 1989, among others.

Fábio is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon where he is studying the geoeconomic implications of Chinese and European connectivity initiatives.

Elisa Díaz Gras is a political theorist with twenty years of experience in diplomacy and international affairs. She served as the head of political affairs at the Mission of Mexico to the EU and previously acted as a representative to various multilateral and regional organizations, including the United Nations in New York, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Chile and UNESCO in Paris. She was elected vice-president of the executive board of UN Women (2013).

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Alison is an editor and book publisher with extensive experience in the industry. A graduate of Oxford University, where she read Modern Languages and Classics, she currently commissions titles for Agenda Publishing and aspires to write her own book one day.

One of the founders of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, Hans Kribbe is the author of The Strongmen: European Encounters with Sovereign Power (2020) and a partner at political advisory firm Shearwater Global. Earlier he worked at the European Commission as an aide to the Commissioners for the single market and competition policy. Hans holds a PhD from the London School of Economics.

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One of the founders of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, Sébastien Lumet is a political analyst. He previously headed the Brussels office of a French online publication covering international affairs. Earlier he advised various ministries in France on policy development and implementation. Sébastien is a graduate from the College of Europe and the London School of Economics.

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A historian and political theorist, Luuk van Middelaar is the author of The Passage to Europe (2013), Alarums & Excursions (2019) and Pandemonium: Saving Europe (2021). He is a part-time professor of EU law at Leiden University and a foreign policy commentator for NRC. Luuk was the chief speechwriter to European Council president Van Rompuy (2010–2014). He is one of the founders of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics.

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Paul joined the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics (BIG) as Head of Communications in November 2024, bringing nearly a decade of experience in Brussels-based communications focusing on European and international affairs. Prior to this role, he served as Public Affairs and Communications Officer at the European Institute of Peace and as Press Officer for the European Green Party during the lead-up to the 2019 European elections.

With a background in the media, Paul has worked with news outlets Radio France Internationale, the Associated Press, and Al Jazeera. He holds a Joint BA (Hons) degree in French and Fine Art from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Kate is a graduate of the College of Europe with an MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies and of University College Cork with a BSc in Government and Political Science, also bringing experience from the European Parliament

Matěj is a PhD student affiliated with the Geopolitical Studies Research Centre of Charles University in Prague. His doctoral research focuses on the geopolitics of the Arctic. He was awarded the 2023 Czech National Security Council Prize.

Thijs Van de Graaf is an associate professor in International Politics at Ghent University. His latest book is Global Energy Politics (2020). He was the lead author of two IRENA reports on the geopolitics of the energy transition, on hydrogen (2022) and critical materials (2023). Thijs co-authored BIG’s 2024 report on energy diplomacy.